News On Japan

Tokyo stocks rose 1.67 percent Thursday as market sentiment was lifted by upbeat U.S. job data. (globalpost.com)

Japan's government and ruling party officials have rolled out a plan to open up new sections of bullet train lines earlier than planned. (NHK)

A Japanese fleet is on its way to the Antarctic Ocean to conduct a survey of the region's whales. (NHK)

Japanese government officials are expected to forecast real economic growth of around 1.5 percent in the fiscal year ahead. They are likely to predict nominal gross domestic product, which includes price rises, will be 2.7 percent. (NHK)

Chinese badminton player Lin Dan, who won gold medals in singles matches at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, has come under fire for signing a sponsorship deal with Japanese sports equipment maker Yonex Co. (Jiji Press)

Analysts who survey bankrupt Japanese companies say the number of firms last year that blamed the weaker yen was more than double the amount in 2013. (NHK)

Japan's government is reviewing new social welfare programs now that a hike in the consumption tax has been postponed. Officials are now preparing a draft budget plan for fiscal 2015. (NHK)

Children at a kindergarten in central Japan have braved the cold at an annual karate practice. (NHK)

A metal screw was found in a "bento" meal box made by restaurant operator Watami Co.'s food delivery service arm, it was learned Thursday. (The Japan News)

Saitama prefectural officials said 111 crows were found dead in three locations between Dec 30 and Jan 6. (Japan Today)

A female college student who filed a suit last year against a television station that had deemed her work history unacceptable for employment as an announcer has reached a settlement with the network, it was learned on Thursday, reports Nikkan Sports (Jan. 9). (Tokyo Reporter)

Daihatsu Motor's Tanto was the best-selling vehicle in Japan last year with sales of 234,456 units. It's the first time a minicar topped the list in 6 years. (NHK)

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Thursday that an influenza epidemic is rampant in 33 prefectures. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government approved Friday a new space development policy focusing on security, with an aim to boost the total value of the country's space industry to 5 trillion yen over the next decade. (Kyodo)

A 51-year-old company executive was found collapsed in front of his home, bleeding from multiple stab wounds to his neck, in Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, on Thursday night. (Japan Today)

The Nikkei rose for a third day on Friday on growing confidence in the US economy and hopes of aggressive stimulus steps in Europe, while Fast Retailing Co rose after reporting strong quarterly profits. (thehindubusinessline.com)

Japan's composite index of coincident economic indicators for November fell 1.0 point from the previous month, the first drop in three months, the Cabinet Office said Friday. (Jiji Press)

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it has imposed a record 70 million dollars in civil fines on Honda Motor Co. for failing to report fatal and injury accidents, and some warranty claims. (Jiji Press)

A Japanese woman has claimed she discovered fragments identified as dental material in a McDonald's hamburger, the company said Friday, the latest in a series of food contamination woes for the fast-food giant. (Japan Today)

American refusal to sell the F-22 Raptor overseas and the aging of the F-15J fighter is set to create a window of vulnerability. Even worse news for Japan, China is developing something that could push through Tokyo's airspace: the J-20 fighter. (nationalinterest.org)

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